


Hiemps Amare [Discontinued for personal reasons]

by ZeroNoctem



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Background Hance, Blood Drinking, Blow Jobs, Damn Good Scrambled Eggs, Imprisonment, M/M, Masturbation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sensuality, Snow, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Shiro, Vampires, Winter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 17:18:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8169734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroNoctem/pseuds/ZeroNoctem
Summary: Keith moved into 'The Castle', A home for vulnerable young adults coming out of Orphanages due to their age. The large, old Manor house sat on acres of grounds and lay barely used aside from the spaces the tenants used to live. A handful of people going about their daily lives in a supportive environment. However, one day Keith finds a key and discovers something completely unsuspected in one of the attic rooms in the old Manor. A man that would change his view of the world and everything in it forever. [Rating will go up (E) when things happen]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no real idea how this came to be. It just happened from the phrase 'Are you Afraid'. That's it. Hopefully I can make this enjoyable and fun to read, although there will probably be angst too. Knowing me. Tags will be added as needed and the rating WILL change to Explicit later on so if you want a story that's going to remain T this isn't the one for you. There will eventually be much sex.

“Are you afraid?”

“No I’m… I’m not afraid.” Keith reached out, his hand shaking as fingertips brushed a too cold jawline. Chilled and pale and beautiful.

“You sound like you’re afraid. You should have left the door shut.” His voice was deep and smooth and Keith wanted to keep his hand where it was. Instead he dropped it, only for it to be caught midway by long fingers.

“.... I’m not afraid…” Keith repeated as his fingers twitched in the grasp. His breath was like mist in the air on every outward huff and the sweater he was wearing did nothing to keep the chill out. "Aren't you cold?" The words were out before he had a chance to stop them, but Keith didn't regret them. Not with how ashen the man looked.

The man looked taken aback at his question. Brows drawing down in confusion as his hand tightened it's grip slightly around Keith's palm. "No... Do you... not know what I am?" His voice was quieter this time, unsure and tentative.

Keith looked at him a little more before stepping closer. It was only then that he really noticed them, the chains. Glinting silver in the light and wrapped tight around the strangers right arm and the chair he'd been sitting in the entire time. They looked almost rusty, but as he squinted through the dim light he noted that it wasn't rust but old _blood_.

"T-that..." Keith stuttered the word, eyes wide and shining with the reflection of the moon shining through the window he'd pulled a swathe of old sheets away from.

"Will you remove it?" His grip softened again and Keith blinked and drew his gaze back to the man's scarred face. "If I tell you what I am, and if I gave you my word that I wouldn't hurt you. Would you remove that for me?" The question was anything but demanding, not even a hint of desperation although the man looked sort of forlorn.

Keith's heart ached with that expression, his own fingers slowly and carefully curling around the man's hand to return the hold. "I'll take it off. But you keep saying you'll tell me _what_ you are. But aren't you simply a man?" What else was there to be?

A soft, huffing laugh bubbled out of the man then. Warm despite the winter chill and the man's own cool temperature. "No, I'm not." He paused then, his eyes downcast as he seemed to be considering something. Their hands still intertwined in an oddly familiar way. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but I'll tell you. I'm undead, a Vampire." The words hung heavy in the air and Keith would have laughed if not for the seriousness with which they were said.

"Are you serious?" He said, unable to hide the hint of disbelief and offence in his tone. Keith wasn't sure if someone was laying an elaborate prank on him - probably Lance since they had a sort of war going on. But this? To hire an actor and go through so much trouble with small details such as the dried blood flaking off of the chains... Which in all reality could have been anything from fake blood to dried barbecue sauce.

"I'm serious." The tone was still firm and unwavering. There was no hint of humour or nervousness now. No hint of anything but truth and Keith felt his grip on the other man's hand falter for the first time since they were first joined. This _was_ a joke, right? Those things - Vampires - didn't exist. There was no way that they could exist at all... right?

Keith stared at him for what seemed like forever. The other man just sat calmly and quietly, his posture relaxed and unassuming. Keith shifted his feet and finally pulled his hand away, which the man let go easily and without protest. Keith watched as his arm dropped to his side once again and he let his head fall back as if in defeat. As if expecting Keith to now turn and leave him there, in the cold.

Instead Keith moved to the man's other side and dropped to a knee, inspecting the chain biting into the man's arm more closely. It seemed almost _fused_ into the skin and the mere sight, even with light so poor, was enough to convince Keith that the wounds and the blood were real. Oh how he wished they hadn't been, how he wished it really _was_ a prank because already he was strangely fond of this man. Drawn to him and unable to just _leave_ now he knew he was here. At the same time everything he'd heard about vampires was less than complimentary. Unless of course one was to speak of things such as that one novel with the sparkling vampires - you know the one.

Keith sat back on his heel and let his arm rest upon the knee bent up near his chest with a sigh. How was he supposed to deal with this? On one hand he could let him go and possibly get killed, on the other he could leave him here and try to forget he'd ever ventured into the attic of the old orphanage. But if he did that Keith felt like his conscious would eat away at him relentlessly. He wasn't sure he could live with himself, when the sun rose - even a winter one - this man would die. Surely?

Violet eyes moved to glance side-ward at the man again, from his face to the way his posture was so completely lax. He looked strong, but this one thing seemed to be keeping him in place. What he _didn't_ look was poised and ready to attack as soon as the chain was removed. If he took it off perhaps he'd have enough time to run and lock the door if he tried. Or perhaps he'd die.

Keith stood up again then, licking his lips and brushing off his knee where it had been pressed to the thick layer of dust on the floor. "I'll think about it." He finally said. His voice was matter of fact. There was no smugness or control there, he _would_ think about it. Just... in his own time, when the other man wasn't sort of staring at him placidly like an oversized puppy. "H-how long have you been here?" He asked, needing to know although not sure _why_.

"Somewhere around eighty years. I would guess." When the man estimated the span of time Keith thought he must be wrong. Overestimating because he'd been bored and craving freedom. "I have counted over twenty nine thousand days through the cracks in the sheet that was blocking the sunlight." He clarified before Keith could ask if he was sure, as if he'd read the doubtful expression on the human's face.

"H-holy _shit_ ." Keith breathed the words out on a gasp before he could stop them. Blinking rapidly in his shock and embarrassment about the profane slip up. _Eighty years_ . That was... a huge amount of time to be _stuck in a chair_. But... one more day.... or a few, surely it wouldn't be so bad?

Keith swallowed thickly around the guilt but decided he really had to be _sure_ first. So he turned with a duck of his head and hastily hung the dusty sheets over the large window again. Standing on a creaking old chair so he could reach the corners and make sure no light could get through other than around the very edges. With that task done Keith jumped back down to the floor, the vibration of his landing kicking up the dust around his feet as he squinted through the darkness toward the man. Whose eyes seemed almost luminous.

Keith took a step back, and then another until his outstretched hand came into contact with the door frame behind him. He couldn't see the man's expression from here, he wasn't sure if he wanted to or not. "What's your name?" He asked, voice barely a whisper and Keith was sure that it would go unheard. Especially when silence followed for a long moment.

"You can just call me Shiro." The voice came through clear and warm and Keith felt his stomach twist almost _pleasantly_ at the information.

"I'm Keith..." Then he shut the door and turned the ornate key he'd found shoved behind a section of skirting in his bedroom. Slipping it back into his pocket before pressing his hand to his chest, the very same hand that the man in the room - _Shiro_ \- had been holding onto not ten minutes before.

Keith lay on his bed staring at his hand, fingers spread and casting a cage of shadow across his features where it blocked out the light from above. It still felt cold, not that he was complaining and _physically_ it was normal in temperature. But the lingering phantom of the man in the attic's touch was there and something about it left an odd warmth growing within his chest.

He'd gone up there after trying various locked doors in the house, only to find the key he'd discovered completely by accident in his room belongs to the attic door. Or well... that part of the attic. Keith was sure there were about five different sections since the old manor house was huge. Most of them were off limits to the people staying there though. 'The Castle' A home for vulnerable young adults. Though Keith saw it more like an orphanage because he'd just been moved on to here once he turned eighteen and was too old for the last one he was staying in.

It was stupid, ridiculous. Their encounter had lasted less than ten minutes and he felt _drawn_ to the other man. Okay sure, he was really _very_ attractive and Keith was really _very_ much _not_ straight... but that purely physical attraction shouldn't have made him feel this way. Perhaps Shiro did something to him, Vampires were supposed to have some sort of mind control power weren't they?

Keith  curled his fingers in the air to make a fist before letting his arm drop heavily, his hand thumping against his chest with a hollow sound. He _could..._ go up there again tomorrow and talk. Could try to find out things about the man before he let him go because surely if they spoke enough Keith could tell more surely if he was a threat.

Surely Shiro was starving by now too, how long could Vampire's last without drinking blood? He was also very obviously weakened by that chain on his arm, Keith assumed it was silver because it just _looked_ like it. Just like the old silverware in the kitchen that they weren't supposed to use, or the candlesticks in the one study that was still used. Keith didn't know if silver weakened Vampires, he'd not really heard that one before, but it had an effect on Werewolves so it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume it also could on Shiro. Right?

Keith wondered if he could find something to feed Shiro. There was _meat_ in the kitchen, he was sure he could pilfer some of that without being caught. Maybe a steak or something? But that might make Shiro sick and there was only so much blood left in those. Keith chewed on his lip for a moment, gnawing off the dry skin where they’d chapped in the winter winds. He’s ask him, Keith decided. He’d ask the other man if he could eat something other than a human, since killing humans was sort of frowned upon, and then he’d get it for him if he could. Shiro had been there for so _long,_ he deserved a chance at least.

With his mind made up Keith got ready for bed, turning the light off and lying in the dark under piles of duvet and blankets. Turning to watch the hefty snowflakes falling in a constant flurry outside of his window as he drifted off to sleep.  
  
  


℘

When Keith awoke the next morning he already had his day planned out. Things he had to get done, things he really should do and then… Shiro. Who was still sitting up in the attic tied to that chair even though Keith thought a single chain should have been easy to break. He was  _ that _ weakened by it, or maybe before hand by something else, too.

He lie in bed for a while longer, layers of blankets ruched up around his shoulders and the back of his neck to keep the chill out. Even though there was heating in this old house Keith was still never quite warm enough during the winter months. There was a clunk and a thrum as said heating forced some air through the old pipes beneath the floorboards and Keith groaned and finally sat up.

The layers of his sleep shirt did nothing to stop the shiver that ran through him and Keith groaned. He didn't  _ want _ to get out of bed, it was warm and soft and he sort of wanted to sleep the day away like the resident cat got to. But he  _ had _ to get up. He had to sort out some bills and question  _ when _ exactly the new washing machines were being delivered because his clothes were getting more and more holes in them from the old ones. Keith had lost count of how many times he'd stabbed himself in the fingers with a needle trying to repair the damn things.

The floor was - thankfully - not as cold as he'd anticipated when he placed his feet down. The thick wool rug was old and warm but helped more than anything he'd be able to find in the shops these days. Even if the busy, red oriental pattern sometimes threatened to give him a headache when he stared too long in thought. Wiggling his toes in the deep pile Keith stood up and busied himself by quickly getting dressed. One of these days he considered timing himself, because he was completely clothed in less than a minute. He'd left his clothes for the next day out in advance so he spent as little time cold and naked as possible.

When he'd shoved his feet into his faux fur lined slippers, that Lance always made a point to mock, Keith haphazardly took a brush to his hair and grunted after a few moments brushing. It was good enough, tangle free despite flicking up at the ends a little too much on one side where he'd slept.

Exiting the room Keith hid a yawn behind his hand and made his way down to the kitchen area to find something to eat. The chef was already up and smiling pleasantly as always. Keith thought the man was possibly the warmest, happiest guy he'd ever met and  _ the _ best cook to boot. Not to mention his strength was almost inhuman, he still wondered how the hell Hunk had managed to lift that car off of Coran's foot that one time.  _ A car _ . He wasn't sure to be happy for Lance or jealous of him that they were dating.

"Hey." Keith's voice crackled around the word and he yawned again, ducking his head and lifting his hand to hide it. There were others who didn't bother doing such a thing, but Keith didn't really want to subject people to unwillingly having to see his tonsils.

"Morning Keith~." Hunk's voice was cheerful and warm as he walked over to give a firm slap on Keith's back. The morning greeting seeming to shake the shorter man to the bone as he stumbled forwards a step with a grunt. "Sorry. Forgot you're such a waif." Hunk said as he scratched the back of his head and grinned.

"S'ok." Keith smiled and let a light chuckle enter his tone. Lance was corrupting him, corrupting Hunk. He could see the mischievous glint in his eyes more than ever these days.  Not to mention he'd been talked into hiding a frog in Pidge's room and before Lance Hunk never would have done that. Not that Pidge cared, she ended up naming it and keeping it in a tank.

Hunk made pleasant conversation as Keith moved to the fridge to get a glass of orange juice. The other man asking if Keith was up for some bacon and scrambled eggs on toast.  _ Hell yes _ . He didn't know  _ how  _ Hunk did it but he made the best scrambled eggs Keith had ever tasted. There wasn't a hint of rubberiness or dryness in them at all. They were creamy and moist and Keith could probably eat a whole vat of the stuff if he was completely honest.

Breakfast was relatively calm until lance made his appearance, dressing gown still on and transformers - or something - slippers wrapped around his feet. Keith made sure his attention was on the newspaper above his plate as Lance gave Hunk a good morning kiss, giving the other men their privacy.

After that Keith ended up with a forkful of scrambled egg in his lap courtesy of Lance, and a choking fit when Lance decided to tell a filthy joke when Keith was trying to drink. In the end though his breakfast experience wasn't too bad and he left the happy couple to finish theirs in peace. And find a change of clothes because his were covered in egg and orange juice now. Which meant another trip to the laundry room was in order because he was running low on clean stuff now. Which reminded Keith that he needed to ask about the damn washing machines.

So he made a detour before going up to his room to change, poking his head in the study where Coran spent a lot of his time budgeting and taking care of the general running of the house. Could Keith even really call it a  _ house _ ? It was a massive old manor after all. There were more rooms than people by  _ far _ but most of the house was closed down and disused. Keith wondered if they'd take on more occupants at sometime, but he'd been informed he was the last one they'd accept for now. Just so the running of the place was manageable and people didn't get too stressed from being around so many others. Almost all of them here - Keith included - had some form of PTSD.

Coran wasn't there. Keith sighed and shrugged, instead making his way upstairs to change. He'd picked a room away from all of the others so he didn't have to worry about his nightmares waking them. When you woke up screaming often enough you tended to piss people off after all, sleep deprivation was a bitch for everyone.  So Keith's room was up the staircase opposite all of the others, surrounded by empty rooms that were locked and gathering dust.

It was ok, though. Keith liked things that way, the mild feeling of semi-isolation was oddly comforting because he didn't have to worry about what everyone else around him was doing or planning all the time. He didn't have to deal with background noise when he was having an episode when everything was too loud and too much. The hallway spanned the front of the house here, large windows allowing views of the surrounding countryside which was currently covered in a thick layer of snow. A glance to the long driveway toward the grand gates at the end showed their work from three days ago to dig a path through the snow was pretty much filled up again.

Ah he would have such a  _ lovely _ time with that again. Knee deep in snow that was soaking into his jeans and making his shins ache. But it had to be done, and he  _ did _ live here just like every one else. So they would all chip in no matter how unpleasant it was, though Keith wagered he was the one who disliked the cold the most. Last time the others kept getting distracted by snowballs and Keith really would have just rather finished and got back inside as quickly as possible. Preferably to perch in front of one of the open fires for hours.

After his brief pause to sulk Keith finally made it into his room and into a fresh set of clothes. He bundled the others up and shoved them in his embarrassingly overflowing wash basket before sitting down on the edge of his bed. Thoughts of Shiro invaded his mind again and he began to chew at his lip.

Was he lonely? Keith loved isolation most of the time but he still got  _ lonely _ . The man up there was a Vampire - apparently - but the feeling in his eyes was so  _ warm _ even if his skin wasn't. Keith wondered if Shiro would warm up if he had some blankets, or if he was just that cold to the touch all of the time because Vampire's were technically not 'living'. Keith wasn't sure about that definition any more, though. Not after their brief encounter that left his mind full of the other man for various reasons.

He wanted to go up there now, but it was daytime so... Shiro would  _ sleep _ right? He also couldn't just shirk his normal daily life all of a sudden without people beginning to ask questions. Questions he wouldn't be able to answer because who the fuck could just come out and say they found a Vampire in the attic? Other than someone who wanted to be laughed at, or thought insane.

No. Keith would go about his day and  _ then _ he'd see Shiro, and that's exactly what he did. The new washing machines were due in a few days - three of them. Keith's finances were meagre and depressing as always but he could afford his bills which were just payment toward the electricity, gas and food. As well as his rent and an internet connection. Thank god they each had their own separate one of  _ those _ . Keith couldn't imagine all seven of them trying to use the same one.

He spent a couple of hours after dinner curled up in one of the oversized armchairs in the lounge, his laptop perched in his lap precariously as he tried to find out information. In retrospect it probably wasn't the brightest of ideas when Lance came strolling into the room and hovered behind him nosily.

"What up Twilight." Lance's tone was light and amused as he flicked at an impressively curled chunk of hair protruding from Keith's head. The remnants of his earlier bed head that he'd just never bothered to rectify since he wasn't leaving the house today.

"What?" Keith couldn't stop the distaste from seeping into his tone as he turned to look at the other man and shift his laptop screen down slightly. Trust Lance to be the one to find him like this. The others would have left him alone but Lance liked to  _ tease,  _ and that was fine... when it wasn't Keith.

"You wanna bone a vampire or something? I hear the chicks are really freaky in bed." Lance grinned and made his way over to one of the couches, unceremoniously flopping down into one and putting his feet up with a sigh.

"No." Flat and to the point. Lance was rather fond of trying to figure out Keith's sex life, ever since Keith sort of shrieked and pushed a former girlfriend away from himself. In his defence it had been the first time anyone tried touching his dick and she dug her talon like false nails into his flesh like it was a stress toy or something. Thank god denim is thick.

"You're always so  _ conversational _ . I love it. Best bud." Lance closed his eyes and hummed, obviously enjoying his mostly one sided conversation. Even if Keith just wanted him to turn the TV on and get engrossed in The Great British Bake Off again. Or... something else if it wasn't on. He didn't keep track of what days it played, just that it kept the other man quiet.

"I just thought I'd kill some time. Someone posted something about Vampire history on Tumblr and I elaborated on my reading. That's all." Keith shrugged after telling Lance a white lie. It wasn't as if he disliked the other man after all. He just didn't often have the spoons to interact with him at length. Or any one else for that matter.

"Each to their own I guess." Lance shrugged and finally dug the remote for the TV out from behind one of the couch cushions. Moments later the TV came on and Lance ended up watching something to do with home renovation that Keith was only half privy too. His focus once more back to the words on his screen outlining various theories and historical stories.

When he was done he excused himself and bid Lance and the newly arrived Pidge a good night. Going back to his room to shove his laptop on one of the beside table tops and then he glanced at the over generous pile of blankets on his bed. He could do without two or three of them, Shiro needed them more. Probably. Mind made up Keith bundled three of the blankets into his arms and awkwardly made his way up to the attic room. The key burning a hole in his pocket and his heart hammering in his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

The climb up to the attic room was an awkward one for Keith. With his arms full of blankets - which he stumbled over more than once - Keith finally made it to the door. He fumbled for the old, ornate key in the pocket of his sweat pants and haphazardly shoved it into the keyhole. The click of the antique tumblers in the door seemed too loud, Keith knew full well that he wasn’t supposed to be up there. That he was far too old to be sneaking around like a rebellious teen when he was a few months shy of twenty. But the adrenaline of it felt good, it always had, now more so than ever since he knew what lay beyond.

Keith knew Shiro would have been expecting him, though part of him thought it may have been a dream. But as soon as he entered the room he felt those steely grey eyes upon him. Even if he couldn’t see them because of the darkness and the other man’s position at the far end of the space. The sheet across the window had remained up at least, Keith had been slightly worried he hadn't hung it securely enough.

Keith kicked the door closed as carefully as he could behind him, stumbling again as he hauled the blankets over to the back of the room and the silent man there. It was unsettling that there had been nothing said yet, but then again what did Keith expect? Exuberant greetings and animated conversation didn't  _ seem _ like the sort of thing this guy did. Plus that would have been even more uncomfortable, if Keith thought about it properly.

"Hey." Keith broke the silence, voice small and gauche. He placed the bundle of blankets down onto an old chest that had been placed near the wall behind Shiro and then moved over to the window to take down the sheet he'd tacked up. Moonlight spilled into the room, brighter with all the snow on the ground.

"Thank you." The words were sincere and  _ warm _ . The suddenness of them making Keith jolt with surprise as he turned to look at the other man. Now fully illuminated.

"Huh?" Keith's reply was anything but eloquent as he held the sheet in his hands. Bundled together messily.

"I haven't seen the moon in years, but now you've shown me two nights in a row. So thank you, Keith." Shiro's eyes were shining in the light again, as vivid and warm despite their cool grey colour. He was even  _ smiling _ . Keith's heart did an odd sort of surging flutter and he had to look away as he dropped the sheet.

"N-no problem. It's too dark to see with it up anyway." He paused. "Well, for me it is..." Keith walked back over to Shiro then. Carefully squatting next to the arm that was still bound to the chair and still covered in that rusty looking blood.  _ Old _ blood.

"It's been the same for eighty years. One more night has done it no harm, you know." There was humour is Shiro's tone.  _ Humour _ . Dear lord how could he be so friendly and relaxed after so many years  _ trapped _ here? Keith would have gone insane.

"N-no. I mean I know. I was just uh... yeah." Keith's voice warbled out on a clumsy laugh and he sighed shortly after. "I just don't know what to think, still." He was honest, at least. He still half expected this to be some sort of elaborate prank, a really  _ really _ well planned one.

"Well... I can't really help you there. Tss!" Shiro's words were cut off by a hiss and a flinch as Keith's fingertips came into contact with the chains and the wounds on his arm. It had been a light touch, barely there, but the reaction had been instant and strong.

"Oh god I'm sorry!" He yanked his hand back harshly, holding it in the air guiltily as wide violet eyes looked up to Shiro. Filled with concern and regret. "I didn't think... I mean... it still  _ hurts _ after so long? Shit I'm sorry." Keith repeated his apology and scooted back a bit, away from the other man.

"N-no... It's fine. I'm okay, you don't have to move so far away." Shiro almost  _ pleaded _ with Keith. The first crack of vulnerability and insecurity he'd seen from the Vampire. It was... strange. He expected cool and calm from him, Keith had even sort of still thought there may be a lick of evil hidden there. But that suspicion was getting less and less as the minutes ticked by.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not yet." He reassured the other man, standing and moving closer again. Keith hesitated before he reached out with his hand gently touching Shiro's left shoulder. As soon as his fingertips made contact a large hand wrapped around his forearm and his breath hitched.

"I wont hurt you." Shiro's voice was softer, quieter than before. Keith's gaze dropped to watch as the other man's hand slid along his arm, across his wrist in a way that made Keith shudder pleasantly. Then that hand was tangling with his again, fingers lacing and just holding.

It was overly familiar, for a man he'd just met. But then again this had happened the first time too, and Keith wasn't so sure he even disliked it. In fact he sort of really  _ did _ like it, if the hammering of his heart was anything to go by. His face felt warm, too. He wondered if Shiro could hear his pulse like the vampires in some of the lore he'd read suggested. If he could then he'd surely be aware of how much Keith was affected, whether he thought it was fear or something else would be a mystery though.

"I won't." Shiro repeated when Keith didn't answer, didn't react. The smaller man blinked and turned to look from their hands to Shiro's face. The scar across the bridge of his nose must have been painful when it happened, but it did nothing to mar how attractive Shiro was. At least in Keith's mind.

"No that's not it.. I just wasn't expecting um..." If he hadn't been flushed before he most certainly was  _ now _ . "Holding hands..." Keith almost  _ squeaked _ the words out on a heavy out breath.

"Are you frightened, Keith?" Still calm and soft, Shiro's words were once again familiar. He'd said them last time too, minus Keith's name of course. Somehow that made it feel more like it was meaningful,  _ safer _ . Truer.

"Wh-... no. No I'm not frightened, not really." Keith answered, his voice a stutter with his shock and strange sense of embarrassment. Somehow he felt so exposed when Shiro was looking at him like this, so  _ close _ . The hand wrapped around his twitched and then squeezed a little bit.

"Your heart's beating so hard..." Another squeeze, a little stronger this time and bordering between possessive and painful. Shiro closed his eyes then and Keith watched as a ghost of something that looked like suffering flickered across the other man's features. "You should go..." Shiro suddenly let go, his hand pulling away and dropping to his lap to squeeze at his thigh.

"What, why?" Keith didn't  _ mean _ to sound so upset by the prospect. there was no  _ reason _ to feel so averse to leaving the man again when he was asked to, but it was there anyway. Keith didn't pull his hand away after it had been released, instead moving to rest it on the other man's shoulder. It was broad and firm beneath his touch, Keith almost wanted to stroke his hand along Shiro's collarbone and chest. He needed to get a grip.

But Shiro wasn't helping matters when he squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, brows drawing down as if in pain or concentration. The other man turned his head then, and even though he had a sweater on Keith could feel the brush of lips as Shiro opened his mouth and let out a tremulous sigh. Or what sounded like a sigh... he wasn't sure if Shiro even needed to breathe.  Still, the action had a shiver running through Keith and not for the first time he was painfully aware of his attraction to this man.

Keith didn't move, even when Shiro pressed his open mouth more firmly against the space. A soft sound that wasn't quite a groan vibrated against his skin through the fabric and Keith's breath hitched. Then there was a slightly different sensation, Shiro's teeth scraping as he closed his mouth and bit down on the sweater for a split second before releasing it and leaving behind a damp spot. "You should... really leave..." Oh god Shiro sounded so  _ good _ when he used that tone.

"Do I have to go?" Keith wasn't expecting the faint breathlessness when he spoke, but it was there and it was noticeable. He felt like he'd only just arrived anyway, and surely Shiro didn't  _ want _ to be alone, his actions hadn't been those of a man that wanted to be left alone. "Do you... really not want me here?" Keith was sure his heart was about ready to burst from his chest when Shiro repeated the scraping of his teeth.

"No... but..." The hand was back again now, as if Shiro had given in to the urge to wrap his fingers around Keith's forearm and hold it in place. "I can hear your heartbeat... it's so fast, and it's been such a long time since I..." Shiro trailed off with an almost  _ distressed  _ noise and Keith felt his gut twist.

Of  _ course _ the other man was starving. Of  _ course _ he could hear Keith's goddamn treacherous heart fluttering with adrenaline and attraction. Shiro would have no idea why it was beating so hard, but he certainly heard it, was tempted and tortured by it. Guilt warred with curiosity and a shameful sense of arousal within Keith's body and mind.

"Are you hungry, Shiro?" Keith's voice crackled around the words. Soft but energised as he stared with wide eyes at their points of contact. The fingers wrapped around his arm were long and slender, but  _ strong  _ and the mouth parted and almost panting at his covered wrist was beautiful. Even with the fangs that hadn't been there before.

"Nh..." That was neither an answer or a denial and Keith sucked on his lower lip for a moment.  Shiro was starting to look a little out of it, almost drunk. "I am.... so you should go. Before I can't let go." His fingers were  _ trembling _ against Keith.

"You..." Keith half wanted to pull away, but stronger than that urge was the one to  _ stay _ . It wasn't like he wanted to die or even that he liked pain, and being bitten was probably painful. But Shiro looked so... tortured, and he'd been alone for so  _ long _ . "Shiro... do you want some...?" Keith didn't say 'blood', that was still too strange. But looking at the other man's features right now also told Keith that anything  _ but _ wouldn't do.

This time the noise that Shiro made was unmistakably a  _ groan _ . He looked like he was at war with himself, he looked  _ guilty _ . "But..." He trailed off, not really having a reason to voice it seemed, but both of them knowing full well the meaning behind the hesitation. This wasn't something that was simple or casual. It wasn't something that should be taken lightly,  _ ever.  _ But Shiro looked so pained and Keith felt so exhilarated.

The smaller man moved his other hand then, gripping the sleeve of his hoodie and slowly beginning to hike it up his arm. Shiro's grip lessened just enough for the fabric to slip through his fingers, just enough for Keith to expose the pale wrist beneath the other man's lips. Keith was beginning to breathe harder now too. It was like he was aroused but not  _ sexually _ . It was strange and it was wonderful and it was  _ frightening _ .

Shiro's lips brushed Keith's skin then. A feather light caress that left him tingling and his grip on Shiro's shoulder tightening as he gasped. This shouldn't have been so arousing. It really,  _ really  _ shouldn't. But it was, and Keith was transfixed by the way Shiro was panting and mouthing at his pulse point as if it were something  _ else _ entirely. And then the teeth began to come into play and Keith's knees felt weak.

"Nhh..." Keith's voice came out in a shocked gasp as Shiro scraped a bit harder. The other man's fangs leaving faint white lines on his skin that soon turned red when Shiro  _ sucked _ on the area. Drawing up a dark blemish that would remain for days if not well over a week. He'd given Keith a  _ love bite _ on his  _ wrist _ . "Shiro that's... you can... bite..." He felt like his brain was slowing down, as if it was filled with treacle making his thoughts hard to process. He was  _ really  _ getting turned on now. Enough that his dick was starting to stir.  _ Fuck _ .

Shiro opened his eyes then, turning his head to look at Keith and hold his gaze. His pupils were blown wide even as the bright moonlight reflected off of them and Keith shuddered again as the other man licked the hickey. "I don't know if I can stop..." Shiro said in a whisper and oh  _ god _ his voice had deepened and taken on a deliciously sinful rasp.

The hand that had been holding his arm dropped away, the space where it had been feeling oddly cold now even though Shiro wasn't exactly  _ warm _ . It reappeared on his other arm, gripping and pulling to just above his tied arm. "If you feel faint just... just grab it as hard as you can. Try to  _ hurt _ me... because I... nh... I really..." He trailed off again, hand coming back to grip Keith's exposed arm as he pressed his lips against the skin again. Mouthing and sucking noisily.

Keith kept his hand poised above the other man's injured bicep, but his eyes were very much on Shiro's  _ mouth _ . The way he was all but  _ trembling _ as he started to put pressure on Keith's thudding pulse and then easing off again guiltily. The smaller man felt the first prick of fangs puncture his flesh, just slightly, but then Shiro was yanking his arm away and turning his head.

"Shit.  _ Fuck _ . Just leave!" He shoved at Keith with a strangled sound and Keith stumbled back, landing on his ass heavily as the floorboards groaned in protest. "Get out. Please just... go." Shiro hung his head, shoulders hunching inward as much as possible as he shook.

"I... what?" Keith felt lie he had psychological whiplash. The change in demeanour had been so sudden that he was reeling where he sat and Shiro looked so defeated. Keith rolled to all fours and then stood, taking a step toward the other man with his hand outstretched. "Shiro.."

" _ Please just leave! _ " His voice was so filled with emotion that it cracked around the words and Keith froze. His heart  _ ached _ both for the other man and because of the rejection, even though he knew it had nothing to do with him as such. Shiro was, apparently,  _ still _ fighting his demons.

Keith let his hand drop to his side, frowning and pressing his lips together. "Fine." He said, immature with how his tone came out but unable to reel in his odd emotions.

With a huff Keith turned and hung the sheet over the window again. As an afterthought he walked behind the slouching man and picked up the blankets he'd brought up, tossing a couple over his shoulders and another at his lap. "I'm coming back tomorrow." He announced, looking at Shiro one last time with a concerned frown before leaving. Keith locked the door and trudging down the stairs as his wrist continued to tingle where the other man's lips had been.

Keith shut himself in his room after that. A strange sort of forlorn heat buzzing through him as the memory of what had transpired refused to leave his consciousness. Shiro's fingertips pressing into his arm where he'd held it... Keith mimicked the action with his own hand, holding his marked arm and squeezing. He gasped, body reacting almost instantly.  _ Great _ now he had a weird association with his arm being grabbed, wrist being sucked...

He drew his arm up to his mouth, pulling his sleeve up again and pressing his lips to the dark bruised area. A spark of arousal shot through him at the contact and Keith closed his eyes as he frowned, repeating the action with the same result. He kept at it, just light kisses at first before opening his mouth and scraping his lips over the area.

"Nhh..." His cock started to  _ ache _ within the confines of his underwear and pants. Already hard and eager as he kept up his motions. Shiro's lips had been in that same spot, he'd  _ licked _ and sucked and  _ nipped _ at the skin. Spreading his legs a bit Keith slowly bucked his hips up, the fabric of his sweat pants pulling across his erection with light friction. Teasing and maddening but he didn't touch himself there yet.

Instead he started to nip at himself, the strange sensation of the bruise there feeling  _ good _ as he did so had him gasping yet again and Keith shuddered. He lifted his hips again, a slow upward thrust to rub himself on his pants before rolling onto his stomach. The press off his mattress against his crotch was heavenly and he rolled his hips down into it as he sucked and bit at his wrist.

"F-fuck..  _ Shiro _ ." The other man's name spilled from his lips unbidden and Keith's blush deepened at how inappropriate this was.  He shouldn't be so hard because a stranger -  _ Vampire - _ had kissed and sucked at his wrist... but he  _ was _ . Almost painfully so.

Keith finally gave in, rolling again so that he was on his back, head and shoulders propped up by his pillow as he let go of his arm and shoved his hand into his underwear. There was nothing slow and sensual about the way he began to jerk off. Mouth open against his wrist as he panted hard and began to gasp and moan the other man's name over and over.

It wasn’t long before Keith was biting his arm to muffle his cry of release. His cum soiling his underwear and seeping into the front of his sweat pants too as he shuddered into stillness. Gasping for breath as he unclenched his jaw, a set of deep teeth marks in the skin around the love bite Shiro had left. He’d bitten hard enough that the skin was already starting to change colour with multiple tiny crescent shaped bruises.

Keith looked at hi arm with sleepy, hooded eyes for a moment before embarrassment and shame washed over him. He'd just jerked off to a relative stranger. A  _ Vampire,  _ who was imprisoned and helpless in the attic.  Keith groaned and put his hand over his face - the clean one of course - the other sliding out of his soiled pants. He wiped it off on his thigh and shook his head, how would he face the other man now? Of all the things that could have transpired from discovering Shiro up there the last thing that would have crossed his mind was  _ this _ .

Sure, he was devastatingly attractive to Keith. Sure his voice was sinfully deep and smooth. But that didn't warrant  _ this _ after just two encounters. Right? This was something that you’d expect from a fourteen year old guy, not someone his age. Not really. 

Now that the moment was over and the heat had subsided Keith was left with an odd sort of guilt. He sighed, standing up and slinking off to the bathroom nearest his bedroom - which only he really used - to shower. The hot water only helped his aching muscles and stress levels a bit, but at least he was clean of the evidence now. Even if his clothes were very much  _ not _ .

Keith went back to his room wrapped in a towel. He felt like he was doing the walk of shame as he bundled his clothes close to his midsection and hunched as he walked. There was no way he wanted to be seen and questioned, unless it was Lance and then he'd just be  _ judged,  _ and possibly laughed at. He made it to his room without being spotted, though.

With a heavy sigh Keith shoved his clothes into his wash bin and slumped into the chair at his desk. Head resting heavy in his upturned palms Keith tried to mull over his options. Shiro was obviously hungry.  _ Really _ hungry. What had happened up there earlier in the evening was more than a little electrifying, too. The thrill and adrenaline had made Keith feel embarrassingly sensitive in ways that a brush of lips against a wrist should  _ not _ make him feel.

Keith wondered if Shiro was okay though. The other man had been so frantic so suddenly, as soon as he began to bite down he'd freaked out and Keith felt like the issue may be deeper than  _ just _ the prospect of hurting Keith. How long had he been a vampire before he'd been locked away up there for these past eighty years? How old had Shiro been when he was turned?

Keith wanted so desperately to just  _ ask _ the things spiralling around his mind. But he couldn't just stroll up there and be so invasive, especially not after what had just happened between them. Perhaps he was the only one who felt the heat and the spark of arousal, but that was enough to make Keith hesitant. Shiro had looked so lost and almost  _ drunk _ with need and desire, but that could have  _ just _ been bloodlust.

"Shit. What do I do?" Keith's voice crackled out of him quietly even though there was no one to hear. Peeling himself out of the chair, Keith turned the light off and fell face first into bed, yanking the covers up over his head as he curled around himself and attempted to sleep. He didn't. He  _ couldn't _ .

After three hours of tossing and turning and groaning in frustration Keith threw the covers off, pulled on a pair of sweatpants and left the room. It was  _ cold _ but he was too worked up to notice it much. Taking the stairs to the attic room two at a time Keith shoved the key into the lock and opened the door noisily. Shiro's head shot up and Keith didn't need to see his features to know he was wearing an expression of shock.

"Keith you need to-" Shiro's voice was hoarse as he began to speak but Keith shut the door and walked quickly across the space between them. He pressed a hand over the other man's mouth, silencing him mid sentence as he frowned down at him.

"I'm not going. You're  _ starving _ aren't you? You're  _ lonely _ aren't you?" Keith's words were bold and strong even though he was trembling from the cold, breath making crisp clouds in the air between them. "Do you  _ really _ want to be left alone, again? Isolated and cold and  _ hungry _ ?" Keith shouldn't have been as bothered by it as he was, he really  _ shouldn't _ .  But he was. He'd been irreversibly drawn to this man and now somehow he felt beyond the point of turning back.

Maybe it was the novelty of the situation, the danger of it. Maybe it was because it was the first time Keith had felt attraction like this for someone, because Shiro was  _ gorgeous _ and his gaze radiated warmth and kindness. Despite what he'd apparently been through.

At Keith's words Shiro stilled, stopped trying to protest. His eyes were so impossibly wide that Keith could see them shining in the darkness and then there was wetness dribbling down onto his hand. Shiro was  _ crying _ . Keith's breath caught in his throat and he carefully pulled his hand away, frowning and keeping it poised awkwardly in the air between them.

"I... hate it." Shiro's voice was a whisper. "It's painful..." He didn't elaborate on whether it was the isolation or the hunger but Keith wagered it was probably both and  _ more _ .  He couldn't stand it, Keith's body  _ hummed _ with the need to move and do  _ something. _

"Shiro..." Keith stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders, cradling Shiro's head against his midriff. The other man made a shocked noise and was still for a moment before his free arm came up and clutched around Keith like a lifeline. "You can drink from me. I mean it. You need it and it's fine. I'll be fine." Keith tried to reassure him, tried to make Shiro  _ see _ that it was okay.

There was silence for a long moment as the two men stood there holding each other. Keith's hands soothing small circle across Shiro's shoulder blades and Shiro's hand trembling against Keith's lower spine. Then there was a soft noise and Shiro was speaking in an almost defeated tone. "Mh...  _ Please.." _


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro's pleading tone had been  _ painful _ for Keith to hear. The other man was so desperate and so  _ hungry _ but he denied himself, even after so long. Keith couldn't say he understood, but then again he'd never had to drink  _ blood _ from another person before. It was all well and good in theory, thinking you could do it since you'd need it to survive but in reality it must have been torture awful to come to terms with.

Keith kept stroking Shiro's hair as the other man pressed his face against the warm skin of the shorter man's belly. Keith should have been cold still, but adrenaline had his pulse thrumming hard and his body feeling hot. Then Shiro started  _ nuzzling _ his stomach and Keith's breath caught in his throat. His wrist had been one thing, and obscure but increasingly pleasant sensation that grew the longer Shiro pressed his lips there. But this? His  _ stomach _ ? It was almost instant, the awkward arousal starting to lazily coil within him.

"Um..." His voice was barely a whisper but died in his throat a moment later when Shiro's lips pressed against him, just above his left hip bone. A strangled sound bubbled up then, Keith closed his eyes and his hand curled into a fist in Shiro's hair. This wasn't the  _ time _ to be pent up - again. There was no way his libido should be allowed to go from next to nothing to  _ this  _ so quickly and easily just because there was a rather attractive man 'at his mercy'.  _ Touching _ him.

"Please..." Shiro repeated again, his deep voice sounding vulnerable as his tone wavered. Lips dragging across Keith's skin like a flame and then he  _ sucked _ on his hip and Keith outright whimpered. Shiro paused at that, tilting his head just enough to keep his mouth pressed to Keith's skin but his gaze very much on the young man's face.

Then he did it again. Sucking lightly as Keith stared down into his eyes with embarrassed mortification at being caught out. His breath stuttering out of him harshly as Shiro licked and mouthed at him, taking mercy as the motions moved  _ upwards _ slightly instead of down. "Shiro this is... euh... well, d-do you... always kiss... suck... before you I mean..." Keith fumbled clumsily over his words, not knowing how to phrase his question.

Shiro nodded anyway, eyes never leaving the smaller man's features as he pressed kiss after kiss, suck after  _ nip _ against his midsection. Keith had to move his hands to the other man's shoulders for support, clutching at him and closing his eyes with a shudder as the hand that had been motionless on the small of his back began to  _ move _ . Sliding up and then down and around to Keith's hip where long fingers squeezed. Keith was a goner, he was half hard already and Shiro was  _ still kissing _ .

"Do you feel good?" The sudden question caught Keith off guard. It had him blinking his eyes open and staring at Shiro for a moment before looking off to the side with a blush. It  _ did _ feel good, it very  _ obviously  _ did with the way his sweat pants were starting to tent out. Misplaced or irrational it may be but it was  _ there _ . Twitching and aching for attention.

"Y-yeah... Yeah it feels-  _ I _ feel good..." He finally vocalised his answer, voice quiet and coarse with arousal. Shiro  _ smiled _ at him then, the flash of his white teeth making the smaller man take pause. Shiro's fangs were out again, his eyes hooded and expression almost as lusty as Keith felt. Shiro was  _ definitely _ into this, maybe for more than just Keith’s blood.

"It's better,  _ easier _ , if you're feeling good. It  _ feels _ good to me too this way..." Shiro's words were somewhat confusing, but Keith guessed he meant the blood tasted better. After all it was called blood _ lust _ and a majority of the more positive accounts of vampires were very... sexual. So Shiro knew full well what he was doing, it was  _ intentional. _

Keith muffled another whimper as Shiro scraped his fangs across his skin, enough to leave faint welts but not break the surface. Then the other man's hand was moving again,  _ down _ and  _ inwards _ and Keith made a strangled sound as the apex of his thigh and hip was grabbed at. Shiro's thumb pressed between his legs just to the side of his balls and his fingers splayed outward towards his hip. Keith was hard enough to  _ ache _ now, twitching in his sweats as Shiro finally paused.

"I can't..." He sounded breathless, again. His voice thick with need and trembling with something Keith thought might be fear. A vast contradiction to the way he'd seemed so confident and calm moments ago. "I'm going to do it now. Here..." He pressed a kiss to the space just above Keith's hip, slightly to his side. "I can't take too much from this, I can't... I don't want to take too much..." Fuck he looked so vulnerable. Keith felt guilty for getting so aroused when Shiro was struggling so much.

"G-go ahead. It's fine." Keith let one of his hands move up, cradling the back of Shiro's head. This was probably a terrible idea, it was going to hurt even if he was turned on, surely. Still, something about the other man's situation just got to him. Keith knew what it was like to be alone, obviously not  _ completely  _ because you never were in an orphanage, but he'd felt alone. The only friends he'd ever really made were Lance and Hunk and Pidge.

Shiro made a small, strangled sort of noise deep in his throat then, and Keith's fingers twitched in their place at the back of the other man's head. Shiro said he couldn't take too much from there, but what if he was lying? What if Keith died from blood loss or was seriously injured? But Shiro didn't  _ seem _ like he would do that and Keith trusted his judgement of people. Living or not so living, vegetarian or blood drinker and Shiro's struggle was apparent and very  _ real _ .

Keith held his breath as he felt the scrape of teeth on his skin, clenching his jaw as the action repeated slightly harder and Shiro sucked on the fleshy bit above his hip. Then he was biting and at first it wasn't so bad but soon the pain hit like a thick needle and Keith felt his skin give way with a sort of  _ pop _ . It was nerve wracking and sort of gross too but the sound of  _ pleasure _ and relief Shiro made had Keith's flagging erection twitching to life again.

Shiro's untied hand slipped around and grabbed hard at Keith's ass cheek, fingertips kneading the flesh as he sucked and groaned again. He faltered soon after, freezing and making an almost distressed noise through his nose that had Keith looking down again to watch with concern. But those steely eyes flickered up to meet his gaze and Shiro almost looked  _ sorry _ again, Keith put it down to guilt when the other man closed his eyes and started to drink again.

It was strange, now that the initial pain of the fangs entry had subsided it almost felt like the area was going numb. Leaving behind a slight tingle and full feeling like a swollen bruise, like an overworked lovebite that still felt unbelievably  _ good _ . It shouldn’t really have felt good, right? Maybe he was a masochist. Keith closed his eyes too then, his hand stroking Shiro's hair and kneading at the back of his neck as a soft groan bubbled out of his mouth. Other than his heavy breathing, Shiro's quiet sucking and the combined sounds of their soft moans and gasps the room was silent.

Shiro drank for a long while, it was slow and almost sensual as his hand moved lazily over Keith's ass and back, forward to his hip and the apex of his thigh and crotch before returning to his ass again. By the time Shiro pulled away with a slick sounding, open mouthed kiss Keith's sweat pants had a wet spot smeared across the front of them where his erection was nudging at the fabric. Keith opened his eyes slowly, breaths heavy and fast as he ducked his head to watch Shiro licking at the puncture marks in his flesh, surrounded by a large blackened bruise. That was gonna be sore later when the buzz wore off. But Keith decided it was totally worth it.

Shiro finally pulled away and moved to press the hell of his palm hard against the punctures, holding it there as he looked up at Keith with an odd expression on his features. "It'll stop bleeding in a minute, I'll hold it for you." He pressed a little harder and Keith winced, but understood the need depending how deep the wounds were. Although he doubted very much it would bleed  _ that _ badly and would likely stop on it's own, he was glad for the care shown.

Keith licked his lips, slowly sliding his hand down to his crotch and biting his lip as he readjusted himself a bit. Tucking his erection upward beneath the waistband and then keeping his hand cupped over the head as it poked out slightly. Shiro was  _ still  _ looking at him strangely though. "Wh-what? Did I taste bad?" Somehow he felt offended at the thought, though it wasn't exactly Shiro's fault if he was unpalatable, or his own... right?

"No you...." Shiro cut himself off, biting his lip which Keith noted looked swollen and plump now. He turned his gaze away from the shorter man and leaned in until his forehead was against Keith's belly, his face inches away from where Keith's hand was covering the exposed tip of his dick. The proximity had his breathing speeding up again, his face turning hot as he twitched against his palm. Shiro seemed to notice because a moment later he shifted his posture slightly and Keith felt those plump, swollen lips press against his knuckles in a gentle kiss.  _ Oh god _ .

"Sh-Shi-iro that's- I mean- ngh!" Keith's alarmed yelp seemed far too loud in the room but Shiro barely flinched. He kept kissing and licking until Keith felt painfully aroused, precum smearing against his palm.

"Let me...?" Shiro's words whispered against the back of Keith's hand on a breath and the smaller man whimpered. Then Shiro was nudging at him with his nose and Keith gradually let his hand fall away as he squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath with embarrassment.

At the first touch of a cool tongue Keith's breath rushed out of him in a whoosh and he shuddered hard. It was  _ strange _ to know Shiro was licking him but for the other man's body temperature to be so much cooler than his own, yet somehow it also felt really  _ good _ . Shiro's hand was still pressed hard to Keith's side, so he leaned back and drew Keith's waistband down slightly with his teeth. Half exposed and  _ very _ self conscious Keith muffled another sound but soon choked on a loud groan when Shiro sucked the tip of his cock into his mouth.

The flick and press of tongue against the sensitive slit at the end of his cock had Keith tossing his head back, mouth open and hips bucking slightly into it. Shiro made a pleased sound and dropped down more, Keith's sweats slipping down a bit and then falling to his ankles as the waistband got to the slimmer width of his legs. He shuddered harshly with the chill but then Shiro took him all in at once and  _ swallowed _ around him and Keith didn't care about the cold any more.

The hand on him ground down hard for a moment and Keith winced, only to tremble when Shiro swallowed again and began to bob his head with quick, easy motions. He'd definitely done this before, although Keith's smaller size probably helped too. Somehow he didn't feel quite so bad about his dick size any more, not when it meant he could be taken so wonderfully and completely into someones mouth.

Shiro kept it up, flicking his tongue and dragging the flat of it along the underside of Keith's erection as he moved. It took embarrassingly little time for Keith to reach his peak. Both of his hands moving to grip Shiro's hair as he arched his spine and groaned out a desperate warning before spilling himself deep into Shiro's throat. The Vampire swallowed and hummed until Keith was spent and then he pulled back and licked his lips with a pleased noise.

Keith sagged, bending to pull up his pants when Shiro tentatively pulled his hand away and the angry looking wound didn't bleed. But as he tugged them back up to his hips he paused, staring for a moment before clearing his throat and standing straight. Shiro was hard now too. Not just hard but  _ huge _ . Face aflame Keith cleared his throat and bit his lip before venturing. "I can... help you with yours too, if you'd like?" It sounded painfully formal and achingly inexperienced and Keith fidgeted where he stood.

Shiro blinked, seeming to take pause at the request and then that  _ guilty _ look was back and Keith was really starting to hate that. He was  _ fine _ . Very tired, but  _ fine _ and dear lord did he want to return the favour. But even as he was about to speak again Shiro held his hand up, palm smeared with drying blood. "No it's fine. You really need some rest, Keith. It'd make me feel much more at ease if you went to lie down, sleep for a while?"

The words had an odd conflict of emotions warring in Keith's head then. On one hand he felt disappointed that Shiro didn't want him to use his mouth, or even his  _ hand _ to get him off. On the other he really was exhausted, especially after his orgasm and the knowledge that Shiro had had something to 'eat' now. Not to mention the cold was making him shiver more strongly as the minutes passed by.

"Nh... I guess... Will you be okay until tomorrow...uh... tonight... later?" Keith pressed his hand gently to the sore wound at his side and Shiro nodded. His posture relaxed but straight and his expression now gentled, concerned even.

"Yes, I'll be fine.  _ Thank you Keith _ . For letting me do that, both of those things." The corners of his mouth turned up in an almost sad smile and Keith felt his heart flutter again. He reached out with his left hand and brushed his thumb across Shiro's lips, still moist with saliva from their previous activities, before pulling away.

"Alright..." A pause to bite his lip again. "I'm glad you ate, and... it felt really good after too..." Kieth ducked his head and turned to check the window was covered properly, moving back to Shiro he wrapped the blankets around his shoulders again and turned to leave. Pausing before he got to the door to look over his shoulder. "G'night Shiro." His voice was a soft whisper.

"Good night, Keith." Was the quiet response as he left the room and locked the door again.

Keith made his way quickly down the stairs and into his room, without bothering to turn on the lights he shut himself in and leaned against the door for a moment. His face red and his expression wide eyed with wonder. He'd just been sucked off, not  _ just _ sucked off but sucked off by a literal  _ vampire.  _ Oh god he was so glad Shiro didn't have his fangs all the time that would really have  _ hurt _ . But it had felt so good, good enough that Keith felt the warm coil of arousal in his lower gut even though there was no way he was getting hard again right now.

Keith slowly made his way over to his bed, tripping over a pile of dirty clothes. He stumbled and fell against the corner of his desk, wincing at the sharp pain against his outer thigh and slapping a hand down to rub furiously at it as he hissed. He kept rubbing as he stumbled over to his bed and fell into it with a huff, yanking the covers up over himself and curling into a ball on the side where Shiro  _ hadn't _ bitten him.

It wasn't long before Keith was beginning to drift off, body heavy and mind foggy with it. The day had been all sorts of weird but wonderful and Keith couldn't wait to see what the next would bring. He thought he might end up untangling the silver chains from Shiro's arm when he ventured up to the attic later that night. He trusted the man, it was also plainly apparent that he was more attached to him than he really should have been, but Keith decided it was best not to analyse things.

He felt what he felt and that's all there was to it. It wasn't like there was any logic to things like that anyway right? Shiro had proven to him tonight, at least enough for Keith, that he really didn't  _ want _ to hurt anyone. Let alone kill them. Keith couldn't just leave Shiro trussed up in the attic like he was, not now. It was grossly inhuman, especially after so  _ many _ years of being there already. No, Keith would release Shiro after midnight and then the other man could go on his way. Even if it made Keith's heart ache and burn.

Decided on his plan of action, Keith pulled the covers higher around his shoulders and snuggled down until his nose pressed against them. The scent of lavender and fresh linen soothed him and he felt himself drift farther towards sleep. His stomach twisting with excitement and butterflies over what the next day would bring. The last thought before dropping off wound up being about the washing machines. He never did find out when they'd be getting the new ones delivered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has to shovel snow, then he goes up to see Shiro. But the visit is brief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this has taken so looong! I've been stressed and unwell and every time I came to write I only got a couple 100 words out at a time. Which is why it's been so slow!

Keith slept like the dead that night. Exhausted but snuggled down warm in his bed. The missing blankets hardly noticeable, and even if they were it was worth it. He awoke that morning with a headache and his stomach stuck to the sheets. With a soft groan he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down the line of his body. A dark stain mottled the sheet where it was still stuck to his body and he grimaced. Great. The place where Shiro had bitten him had bled again as he slept.

Keith gingerly picked at and peeled the sheet away from his body with a soft hiss at how sore it felt. The fabric gave way in stops and starts, sticking to some areas more intensely than others. By the time he was done and sat back on his heels Keith was bleeding again. It wasn't a lot, but the ooze of red gradually made its way down his hip in a lazy trickle. He pressed his fingertips to the edges of the swollen bruise, palpitating the skin there and feeling the firm discomfort of trapped blood.

Perhaps Shiro's saliva had some sort of anticoagulant in it, to make drinking the blood easier, quicker. After all wasn't the aim of Vampires to drink their prey dry, usually? Though that mindset could be wrong,considering Shiro's reluctance to even begin drinking. Even after eighty years. So in reality, if the things he'd read were true, Shiro should have been ravenous and eager for it, regardless of the outcome for the victim.

Keith crawled out of bed and over to his desk, opening one of the drawers and digging around for the small first aid pouch he kept in there. It was buried beneath some books and pens but easy enough to feel out and pull free. He grabbed some cotton wool pads first, thankful they were pressed and not the fluffy kind that would stick to the wound annoyingly. Keith held it hard against the bruised puncture marks for a moment, grimacing at the odd feeling as the swelling felt like it was pushing inward as a result.

After a long moment he pulled it back to see, the slow trickle had stopped enough that he felt fine to clean it. Tipping some alcohol onto a fresh bit of cotton wool and wiping the area with another wince. His pain tolerance surprisingly low considering people apparently thought he was apathetic about a lot of things. But really he was just quiet most of the time, listening and contemplating and sometimes even shy. He cared quite a bit, actually. About his friends, about their home and even about Shiro who he'd only just met. The strange lingering attachment just feeling stronger as more time passed. It almost felt like fate even though that sounded stupid to him.

Once the bite mark was cleaned Keith opened a sterile pad and held it in place as he taped it to his skin. He used more tape than was probably necessary to hold it in place, but at least it wouldn't slip off as he went about his day. The thought of his shirt sticking to it and him having to repeat the process from when he'd awoken was more than a little bit undesirable, after all.

Task done, Keith changed out of his sleep clothes and pulled on a loose t-shirt and some black jeans. A thick weave cardigan came next, covering his hands to mid finger where it was oversized but cosy. He let it hang open, shoved his trainers on so his feet wouldn't get cold despite the socks, and left the room to see if he could find something to eat. He felt light headed, so obviously needed a drink and food. Unless he was getting sick again, but he hadn't exactly done anything to cause it, unless getting some blood sucked by a Vampire could count. But Keith didn't really think Vampires got colds or anything like that, let alone pass something on.

Breakfast was calm again, the hour later than usual resulting in an empty kitchen as the other members of the house were off doing other things. The only downside to that was that Hunk's cooking was all gone by the time he got down there. A breakfast of cereal would have to do, but that was fine too. Keith rather liked it.

After his breakfast Keith made his way over to Coran's office, this time finding the other man there and bent over some paperwork that looked surprisingly tricky. Or  _ boring _ . Definitely boring. Keith cleared his throat and the older man looked up from his task with a warm smile that quickly turned concerned as he took in Keith's posture.

"I'd say good morning but it's almost afternoon. Are you alright, Keith? You're so pale today!" Coran's one was cheerful despite his worry and Keith smiled back, tired but feeling relatively okay.

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Keith placated the other man with as much reassurance as he could muster. It was true anyway, he  _ was _ fine but tired. The only difference being the lightly throbbing bite on his side which he planned to very much keep a secret. Even if he told the truth it would impart more worry into the other's, thinking he'd gone crazy.

Coran seemed to only partially believe Keith, but let the subject drop. They spent the next little while talking through what time to expect the be able to actually  _ wash _ clothes when the machines arrived. The estimation of three days was still vague but the delivery company couldn't be any more specific, apparently. Still, Keith would make do and there were simple ways to hand was things if he really needed to. He wasn't that desperate yet though. Even if his sheets were blood stained. It was easier to just toss those ones and save up for a new one sometime. He still had two more sets to last him.

They spoke for a short while after that, Coran brought up how pale Keith was  _ again _ and Keith told him he really was fine,  _ again _ . Still, it was nice to have people that were concerned over his well being. In the orphanage growing up he'd been taken care of of course, but such close bonds had never been made with the adults there and the children were always coming and going. It left Keith awkward and still somewhat standoffish when it came to making friends, he got along with the others in the house, he enjoyed his time with them but he also very much enjoyed his time  _ alone _ too.

So after he'd spent a while downstairs Keith trudged back to his room to strip the sheets with a scrunching of his nose at the dried stain left behind on the old mattress. After stuffing the sheet in a black bin bag Keith got to work scrubbing at the blotch of blood with alternating solutions of water and hydrogen peroxide. It didn't come  _ completely _ out but it was enough to make it look just like any other age related stain.

A glance out the window as he sat back with a sigh gave Keith the answer as to why it was so quiet inside the house that morning. Hunk, Pidge and Lance were all out the front shovelling snow. Well, sort of shovelling snow. In fact Lance was doing more snowball throwing than actual work and the others didn't seem to mind the distraction. With guilt about having missed so much of the task Keith shoved on a hat and his thick coat and gloves, making his way down to help clear the extensive driveway so that deliveries could be made and they could leave if they needed.

As soon as he stepped outside Keith shivered violently and ducked his head as he gasped, trying to stop the cold air from making him cough at the sudden change in temperature. " _ Shit _ ." He swore under his breath but made his way down the already cleared section of the driveway to where the others were. As soon as he got near Keith ended up with a cold, icy reminder of why Lance irritated the hell out of him -  _ sometimes _ \- in the form of a snowball to the back of the head.

Cold snow dropped down the back of his jacket and Keith yelped, slapping a hand to the back of his head and arching sharply with a wheeze. Lance laughed. Voice slightly croaky from how long he'd already been outside in the low temperature. Keith would be lying if there wasn't something vaguely attractive about the way it sounded, but he still liked Shiro's voice much better.

The thought of the Vampire had Keith's gaze unintentionally lifting to the section of attic that he was in. The section of roof looked small and unassuming from this angle, high up and disused, the sheet across the window looked grubby with dust and the panes themselves were in dire need of a wipe down. But that wouldn't happen, better to leave it looking abandoned than to suddenly clean it and have someone notice and explore.

"Hey princess, you gonna stand there all day or you gonna help shovel some snow?" Lance's voice cut through Keith's thoughts and he sighed. Turning to face the other man with a withering expression plastered across his face, all Keith got in response was a tongue poked out at him.

"From what I've seen you're not really doing all that much shovelling either,  _ Prance _ ." Keith shuffled through the snow to a spare shovel and hoisted it into his hands, somehow it felt heavier than he thought it should have. He really needed more sleep.

Lance did a dramatic gasp from somewhere behind him and Keith rolled his eyes as he walked away down the driveway to start on a section that hadn't been done yet. "You wound me! Hey, Hunk! Did you hear what..." The sound of the voice trailed off as Lance moved in the opposite direction. Keith was glad for the quiet again.

For the next few hours Keith kept on task as much as he could with the occasional snowball lobbed at his head or back from somewhere across the way. He was half convinced that they weren't  _ all _ coming from Lance. By the time it was done daylight was starting to dim and Keith could no longer feel his toes or fingertips. His head felt light and fuzzy, his stomach hurt and his legs were weak. He deposited the shovel back in it's rightful place before trudging back inside with a halfhearted wave to the other's as he passed them.

Keith was far too tired to do much more than stamp his feet to dislodge the remaining snow, pull himself up the stairs and fall face first onto his bed fully clothed and feet hanging off he bottom. He hadn't even taken his shoes  _ off _ . Despite hardly eating all day Keith wasn't hungry either, the pangs in his stomach doing nothing to keep him from slumber.

Hours later when the rest of the manor was dark and silent Keith awoke with a full bladder and a dry mouth. He rolled out of bed and swayed on his feet, glancing groggily down at himself and noting that he still had his coat and shoes on. Shrugging his coat off onto the bedroom floor Keith kept his shoes on and made his way out of the room, stumbling down the hallway to the nearest bathroom he relieved himself. After washing his hands he bent and drank some cold water from the tap of the sink, too, helping his dry mouth feel a little less gross.

It was on his way back to bed - head throbbing - that Keith realised he hadn't gone up to see Shiro yet. Something gnawing in his gut about giving the other man some company, however brief, changed his plans with ease. He ascended the stairs to the attic room slowly, slightly out of breath by the time he reached the top Keith took a moment to compose himself before unlocking and opening the door.

"Keith." The other man's voice rang out thick and deep and made Keith jump as he closed the door behind himself. Usually it was  _ him _ that was the first to speak, the change was unexpected but not at all unwelcome, though.

"Hey. Sorry I'm later than usual, I fell asleep after shovelling snow all day. That driveway is unnecessarily long. Heh." Keith rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way over to the window, it took two attempts to pull the sheet down this time.

"You know, you really don't have to apologise... you have no obligation to see me..." Shiro sounded almost  _ meek.  _ The words making Keith frown and turn to look at the pale man whose eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight as usual. Sure, he had no  _ obligation _ to come along but...

"I want to, though. Is it annoying?" Surely Shiro didn't want to be left alone again. He'd been so forlorn looking every time Keith left. So welcoming of any company and physical touch... Keith should unchain him.

" _ Annoying _ ? No of course not." There was a pause, but Shiro's answer had sounded genuine enough. "How's your wound?" The tense hint of concern in Shiro's voice made Keith's stomach twist oddly, a strange sort of embarrassment making him turn his face away for a moment as he moved to kneel at Shiro's side.

"It's fine now, a little bruised but who wouldn't be after being bitten and sucked on right?" Keith ignored the feeling of heat in his cheeks as he tilted his head to inspect the chain binding Shiro. There was no reason to be embarrassed about the bite when what had come  _ after _ was far more...  _ lewd,  _ after all.

"Mh I guess you're right." Keith couldn't decipher the tone in the older man's voice but it almost seemed  _ bashful. _ If anyone should be bashful surely it would be Keith. Keith who'd let a guy - V _ ampire _ \- suck his blood and suck him off before he'd eve ever had his first kiss. There was supposed to be that order right? Hug, Kiss, Touch a bit and  _ then _ more. But that had all gone out the window when Shiro had asked for his blood. "What are you doing, Keith?"

"I'll take it off, so... stay still for a moment." He could do this, Shiro could have killed him easily by now but he hadn't. He was still just the same around Keith as he had been before if not a little cautious. Shiro had been restrained for long enough. Vampire or not he wasn't some sort of rabid beast, at least not in Keith's eyes.

"I-I..." Shiro's voice cracked around the single word and Keith pressed his lips together tightly at the sound of it. Even with such a short stutter the raw emotion there was plainly clear to his ears.

Keith reached up, trembling fingers searching for some sort of clasp or lock. He didn't even know if he  _ could _ get the chain off without some sort of tool. Eventually he found it, the clip holding the ends of the chain together was solid and thick and also very much  _ silver _ . Old, crusted remains smeared across it indicating that Shiro had struggled to remove it even though it seemed to melt his skin off with a touch. Keith's chest ached from the sight of it. Such a simple thing had kept this man prisoner for so long, this Vampire. Something that was supposed to be fearfully strong and fierce... reduced to sitting in a chair in a dusty attic, alone. For eighty odd years.

Without looking up Keith fumbled with the heavy closure. His fingertips sore by the time it snapped open and fell to the floor with a loud, dull clatter of sound. Keith heard Shiro's breath catch and still half expected the other man to suddenly lunge, but he did nothing of the sort. Instead Shiro seemed tense, still and rigid with eyes wide and staring straight ahead. He seemed almost  _ scared _ .

Keith took to slowly peeling the silver away from Shiro's skin, grimacing as strings of sticky blood and flesh stretched between the links and Shiro's arm before snapping free. Shiro was still unmoving, though the set of his jaw when Keith glanced up was enough to tell him that this was hurting. Despite that, though, he kept his slow and steady pace, feeling as if speeding up would do more damage than good. Shiro could probably heal much faster than Keith or any other human, but that didn't mean he would heal right away, it didn't mean he was unaffected by discomfort during the process.

When Keith was done he stood with the chain in his hands. It felt slick and cold and  _ disgusting _ because of what it stood for more than the fact that it was covered in Shiro's flesh and blood. He quickly moved to the far corner and dumped the chain into a dusty cardboard box filled with old plates that rattled but didn't shatter when it hit them. He turned back quickly, eyeing Shiro as he moved closer again only to see that he hadn't even moved his arm. Maybe he  _ couldn't _ .

"I-is it okay? Can you move or... do you need any help?" He leaned over, intending to place a hand on Shiro's shoulder but the other man flinched and Keith froze.

"No I... it's just painful right now. It'll be fine soon I just need to keep still. Just for now." Shiro wasn't looking at him, his tone of voice strange and worrying to the smaller man. Keith stepped back again, hands falling awkwardly to his sides as he chewed on his chapped lower lip.

"Do you need more blood?" He asked tentatively, voice barely a whisper though he knew Shiro would easily be able to hear him.

" _ No _ ." The response was forceful and Shiro seemed to regret it a moment after it left his lips. "I mean... I already drank from you and... Keith there's something...  _ wrong  _ with your blood." He sounded strange again, finally lifting his gaze to pin Keith with a look that could have very well been burning a hole through his chest with how intent it was.

" _ Excuse me _ ?" Still, he couldn't help feeling sort of  _ insulted _ . Keith didn't know why he would but he did. To be told his blood was  _ wrong _ was just like a sort of slap to the face when he'd gotten so into the moment. A moment that had been so painfully intimate to him but apparently unpleasant to Shiro. Shiro who had drunk his blood from the pure starvation he'd been feeling and nothing else.

"Keith... no... look that's-" Shiro started to try to explain but Keith cut him off, tired and irritated.

"No. It's fine. You can go and find a  _ meal _ more to your tastes now that you're free again. It's fine. You were starving and I guess it's natural that people just taste different." Why was his chest hurting so much. It was the sting of moisture in his eyes that made him turn his back on Shiro and start to walk from the room. Almost stopping to put the sheet back up but then realising that Shiro could now do that himself.

" _ Keith _ . Please just-" He was already at the door, swallowing thickly as he heard Shiro call out after him. "At least see a doctor,  _ please _ !" Keith snorted and left the room then. The door shutting sounding heavy and final.

Keith took the stairs downward two at a time and his quick, angry steps meant he made it back to his room quickly. Shutting the door behind him and leaning against it before clutching his chest and feeling his shoulders shake with the desire to sob. He was  _ not _ going to cry over tasting bad. It wasn't his fault anyway.

After a moment of standing with his back tot he door Keith's offended irritation died down to a sort of embarrassed shame. He hadn't needed to react like that when Shiro said there was something wrong. He didn't  _ have _ to mean that it tasted bad right? What if he was sick even though he felt fine... well okay no, Keith didn't feel  _ fine _ but he''d been shovelling snow all day. Plus he'd had a fair amount of blood sucked out of his body the day before so of course he'd feel lethargic right?

Scraping a hand back through his hair Keith groaned and made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat at himself. He was far too tired to go over weird over-friendly feelings and the complexities of Vampire's taste buds and possible illnesses. It wasn't like he'd die if he slept on it, right? So that's just what he did.

With slow steps Keith made his way to his bed and fell into the messy sheets on his side. It wasn't long before he was curled up beneath the covers again and quickly dropping off with lingering exhaustion.


	5. Interlude

Hi everyone!

I needed to write an update as to why this story hasn't had any  _update_! Doing it this way is easier than replying to every comment and also means people who haven't commented so wouldn't get a reply would see it too.

I'm really stuck/writing blocked on this story! I had a whole story set out and them some really stressful things began happening irl and even though I made some notes I've lost that whole 'feeling' about that direction of the plot and the ability to write it that way! In addition irl things have continued and still continue to be really hectic and stressful. With my own health but also my son regarding his disabilities and physical health, schooling concerns, respite care etc etc. I'm NOT dropping this story. I really want to finish it! But solo writing is extremely hard for me (for longfic) right now and I want to do this story justice.

So I guess it's on a sort of hiatus until I can get back into the swing of things again and finish it! I AM going to write really in depth notes about the  _new_ direction I want this to take now though, and hopefully it will involve more of a background story for Shiro and info on Supers (supernatural beings) that are there. Since people seem to be really interested in those aspects of this universe and originally they weren't actually going to be explored! 

I'm really sorry, again, for this taking so long and being so silent on the Hiemps Amare front!


End file.
